Networked television and method thereof

ABSTRACT

A television includes a display, a first network interface to a packet-based network, and a decoder operable to process a multimedia data stream received via the first network interface. The television is operable to display content of the multimedia data stream on the display promptly upon receipt of a user request to power up the television. A method includes receiving a multimedia data stream at a network interface of a television, processing the multimedia data stream to generate content, and providing the video content to a display of the television.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of, and claims priority to,U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/166,909, filed on Jun. 24, 2005,entitled “Networked Television and Method Thereof,” which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

The present application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/166,785, filed on Jun. 24, 2005, and entitled “Multimedia-Based VideoGame Distribution,” now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,282,476, and U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/166,908, filed on Jun. 24, 2005, andentitled “Video Game Console Modular Card and Method Thereof,” and U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/166,907, filed on Jun. 24, 2005, andentitled “Audio Receiver Modular Card and Method Thereof,” assigned tothe current assignee hereof.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present application relates generally to processing and displayingmultimedia data received via a network at a television.

BACKGROUND

Television has become integral to the daily experience of mostconsumers. Until recently, television content was provided only as ananalog signal either by means of a wireless transmission (e.g., networktelevision) or via coaxial cable (e.g., cable television). However, asviewers turn to higher-quality video and begin to demand additionalfeatures, such as video-on-demand, content providers have begun to relyon digital solutions, such as video streaming over networks or digitalcable transmissions. While these digital solutions often provide many ofthe features sought by consumers, they typically require the consumer toinvest in expensive and complex equipment.

To illustrate, consumers typically must utilize a personal computer (PC)to receive and display video content streamed or otherwise provided viaa computer network. However, PCs are designed to support a wide varietyof functions, from Internet browsing and word processing to theprocessing of detailed scientific data. As such, PCs implement complexhardware architectures and sophisticated operating systems in order tobe capable of supporting the widely divergent tasks expected of them.The complexity of PCs results in a user experience that is differentfrom the traditional television experience in that they often require asubstantial amount of time to “boot up” before they can be operated by auser, whereas conventional televisions typically are ready to providevideo content almost immediately. Moreover, with their multitude ofexposed cables and constant fan noise, PCs often present anaesthetically unappealing solution for television viewing. Similarly,the set-top boxes typically required for receiving and processingdigital cable transmissions often detract from the visual appeal of thetelevision setting. Moreover, as opposed to PCs, conventional set-topboxes typically are of limited functionality in that they typicallyinterface only with coaxial cable connections and provide functionsdirected to processing video and audio content of a cable televisiontransmission.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is pointed out with particularity in the appendedclaims. However, other features are described in the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary networked television inaccordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary architecture of thenetworked television of FIG. 1 in accordance with at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary multimedia decodermodular card architecture in accordance with at least one embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for processingmultimedia data at a networked television in accordance with at leastone embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for providingmultimedia data to a networked television in accordance with at leastone embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary distribution of processedmultimedia content via a network in accordance with at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary distribution of processedmultimedia data content via a wireless medium in accordance with atleast one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method fordistributing processed distributing multimedia content in accordancewith at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary audio receivermodular card architecture in accordance with at least one embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary distribution of audiocontent to speakers via a wireless medium in accordance with at leastone embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method forprocessing audio data at a networked television in accordance with atleast one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for providingaudio data to a networked television for processing in accordance withat least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary video game consolemodular card architecture in accordance with at least one embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method forprocessing video game data at a networked television in accordance withat least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary provision of video gamedata via one or more television channels in accordance with at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary video game downloadselection display screen in accordance with at least one embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for providingvideo game data via one or more transmission channels in accordance withat least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 18 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for obtainingvideo game data at a networked television in accordance with at leastone embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a television isprovided. The television includes a display, a first network interfaceto a packet-based network, and a decoder operable to process amultimedia data stream received via the first network interface. Thetelevision is operable to display video content of the multimedia datastream on the display promptly upon receipt of a user request to powerup the television.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, thetelevision includes a display, a first network interface to apacket-based network, a processor to process data transmitted via thefirst network interface, a first modular card interface coupled to theprocessor and a multimedia decoder card coupled to the first modularcard interface. The multimedia decoder card processes multimedia datareceived via the first network interface. The television is operable todisplay video content represented by at least a portion of themultimedia data promptly upon receipt of a request to power up thetelevision.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the present disclosure, amethod is provided. The method includes receiving a multimedia datastream at a network interface of a television. The network interface iscoupled to a packet-based network. The method further includesprocessing the multimedia data stream at a decoder of the television togenerate video content and providing the video content to a display ofthe television. The television displays video content of the multimediadata stream promptly upon receipt of a request to power up thetelevision.

In accordance with an additional embodiment of the present disclosure,the method includes receiving a first multimedia data stream at a firstnetwork interface of a television and processing the first multimediadata stream at a decoder of the television to generate a secondmultimedia stream. The method further includes providing the secondmultimedia data stream for reception by a separately located networkeddevice via a second network interface of the television. The firstnetwork interface is coupled to a packet-based network. The televisiondisplays video content of a multimedia data stream promptly upon receiptof a request to power up the television.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, the methodincludes providing a first data stream including multimedia data to atelevision via a packet-based network. The television includes a networkinterface to the packet-based network to receive the multimedia data anda decoder to process the multimedia data.

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary networked television 100 isillustrated in accordance with at least one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. As depicted, the television 100 includes a housing 101 thatcontains a display 102, e.g., a liquid crystal display or a plasmadisplay. Further, the housing 101 includes a plurality of user interfacebuttons 104, such as a power button, channel change buttons, volumecontrol buttons, and the like. The housing 101 also includes a remotecontrol interface 106, e.g., an infrared interface or a radio frequency(RF) interface, to receive remote control commands from a remote control108. In a particular embodiment, one or more operations of thetelevision 100 are responsive to the remote control commands. Thetelevision 100 further includes an interface panel 110 that isaccessible via an external surface of the housing 101, at a top, back orside surface of the housing 101. The interface panel 110 includes one ormore interfaces for receiving or outputting various forms of multimediadata. As shown, the interface panel 110 includes an IN component 112that includes, for example, an S-video receptacle 122 or audio/visualreceptacles 124 or a digital versatile disk (DVD) IN component 114 thatis configured to receive video data and audio data from an external DVDplayer or other multimedia source. In particular, the DVD IN component114 includes a plurality of receptacles 126 that can receive componentvideo and audio. The panel 110 also can include an OUT component 116that has receptacles 128 to provide video data and/or audio data toanother television or recording device, such as a personal videorecorder (PVR) or an external DVD player/recorder. An RF antennareceptacle 120 also can be incorporated into the panel 110 to receivemultimedia data via RF transmissions.

In at least one embodiment, the panel 110 further includes a networkinterface 118 that includes a network receptacle 130 that can beconnected to any of a variety of packet-based data networks. Thereceptacle 130 can be connected to an Internet Protocol (IP)-basednetwork, e.g., an Ethernet network or an asynchronous transfer mode(ATM)-based network. Further, in a particular embodiment, the networkinterface 118 can include an Ethernet interface and as such, the networkreceptacle 130 can be an RJ-45 receptacle that is configured to receivean Ethernet cable that is connected to an Ethernet-based network. Thetelevision 100 can utilize the network interface 118 to receivemultimedia data, e.g., video data, audio data, or videogame data, over apacket-based network for processing at the television 100. Moreover, thenetwork interface 118 may be used by the television 100 to forwardinformation to another networked device, such as another networkedtelevision 100. The forwarded information may include, for example,processed multimedia data or information associated with the multimediadata, information associated with a video game being played at thetelevision 100, and the like.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the panel 110 further can include one or moremodular card receptacles 132 (also commonly referred to as “expansionslots”) to interface with one or more modular cards (also commonlyreferred to as “expansion cards”) to enhance the functionality of thetelevision 100. The modular cards can include, for example, a multimediadecoder modular card 140, a wireless network interface modular card 142,an audio receiver modular card 144, a video game console modular card146, and the like. In a particular embodiment, the modular cardreceptacles 132 and the corresponding modular cards 140, 142, 144 and146 may be implemented using a standard architecture, such as aPeripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)-compliant architecture, anIndustry Standard Architecture (ISA)-compliant architecture, or aPersonal Computer Memory Card International Association(PCMCIA)-compliant architecture. Alternately, the modular cardreceptacles 132 and the corresponding modular cards 140, 142, 144 and146 may be implemented using a proprietary architecture, or acombination of standard and proprietary architectures.

To customize the functionality of the television 100, modular cards maybe added to or removed from the television by inserting or removing themodular cards from their corresponding modular card receptacles. Forexample, the panel 110 may include an opening in the housing for eachmodular card receptacle 132 and each modular card receptacle 132 mayreceive a modular card that is inserted through the correspondingopening so that the contacts of the modular card receptacle interfaceare brought into secure contact with the contacts of the receivingmodular card receptacle 132. Alternately, part or all of the panel 110can be temporarily removed to install the modular card in a modular cardreceptacle 132. In at least one embodiment, some or all of the modularcards may include one or more interface receptacles that are accessibleat the panel 110 to interface with other components.

In a particular embodiment, the incorporation of one or more modularcards into the television 100 allows for an expansion of the availablefunctionality of the television 100. For example, the television 100 canincorporate the wireless network interface modular card 142 to providewireless connectivity for the transmission of information to othernetworked devices. Moreover, the television 100 may incorporate themultimedia decoder modular card 140 to process multimedia data. Theprocessing performed by the multimedia decoder modular card 140 mayinclude, for example, decoding or transcoding encoded multimedia data,encoding unencoded multimedia data, decrypting encrypted multimediadata, and the like.

In an illustrative embodiment, the multimedia data processed by thedecoder modular card 140 may be obtained from an external multimediadevice, such as a DVD player, via the interfaces 122-128. Alternatively,the multimedia data may be received as a multimedia data stream via thenetwork interface 118 or via the wireless interface modular card 142.The video content of the resulting processed multimedia data may bedisplayed on the display 102 or the resulting processed multimedia datamay be provided to one or more networked devices via the networkinterface 118 or the wireless network interface modular card 142.Various exemplary techniques for processing multimedia data using themultimedia decoder modular card 140 are discussed in greater detailherein with respect to FIGS. 3-8.

The television 100 can also incorporate the audio receiver modular card144 to process audio data for output to one or more speakers. In oneembodiment, the audio receiver modular card 144 provides many of thefeatures commonly found in separate stereo receivers. The audio data maybe received from an external audio device, e.g., a portable musicplayer, via one or more audio inputs 150. Alternately, the audio datamay be received via the network interface 118 or the wireless networkinterface modular card 142. The resulting processed audio data may beprovided to one or more wired speakers via speaker outputs 152 or theresulting processed audio data may be provided to one or more wirelessspeakers via, for example, the wireless network interface modular card142. Various exemplary techniques for processing audio data using theaudio receiver modular card 144 are discussed in greater detail hereinwith respect to FIGS. 9-12.

The television 100 further may incorporate the video game consolemodular card 146 to process video game data in response to controllerinput in order to generate game play for display at the display 102 andoutput via one or more speakers. The controller input relevant to thegame play may be received via one or more controller interfaces 156connected to corresponding game controllers, commonly referred to as“game pads” or “joysticks”, via wired or wireless connections. Videogame data processed by the video game console modular card 146 may beobtained from an external device, such as a DVD player that is capableof obtaining video game data from game CDs or DVDs. Additionally, thevideo game data may be obtained a networked device via the networkinterface 118 or the wireless network interface modular card 142.Moreover, the network interface 118 or the wireless network interfacemodular card 142 may be used to transmit game play information to othernetworked devices for use in, for example, a real-time multiple playervideo game. Various exemplary techniques for obtaining video game dataand for video game processing by the video game console modular card 146are discussed in greater detail herein with reference to FIGS. 14-18.

Referring to FIG. 2, an exemplary implementation 200 of the television100 is illustrated in accordance with at least one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. The television 100 includes one or more processors202, one or more storage devices, such as a random access memory (RAM)204, a read only memory or flash memory 206 or a hard disk 208, a directmemory access (DMA) controller 210 and a display controller 212 coupledto the display 102 (FIG. 1). The television 100 also can include anoverlay graphics generator 214, a network communications processor 216connected to the network interface 118, a conditional access unit 218,an audio output 220. The television 100 further can include modular cardreceptacles 222, 224, 226 and 228 connected to the multimedia decodermodular card 140, the audio receiver modular card 144, the video gameconsole modular card 146 and the wireless network interface modular card142, respectively. As depicted in FIG. 2, the television 100 can furtherinclude the remote control interface 106, the RF antenna interface 120,the IN component 112, the OUT component 114 and the DVD IN component 114of the panel 110 (FIG. 1). In the illustrated example, some componentsof the television 100 can be connected via a first bus 232 while othercomponents can be connected via a second bus 234. Further, the busses232, 234 can be connected by a bus bridge 236.

The processor 202 can perform multimedia processing routines inaccordance with an operating system (OS) 230 and facilitates thefunctions performed by the modular cards that are connected to themodular card receptacles 222-228 of the television 100 by routinginformation between the components or by handling various aspects of thefunctions performed by the modular cards. In a particular embodiment, inorder to provide prompt, real-time interaction with a television user,e.g., by displaying video content promptly upon request, the OS 230 is areal-time OS having specific functionality that is configured tostreamline the operations of the processor 230 and limit the delaybetween receiving a user request and providing the requested action.

For example, in one embodiment, the OS 230 is stored in the flash memory206 when the television is powered down, and upon a user request topower up the television, e.g., via the user control buttons 104 or theremote control interface 106, at least a portion of the OS 230 is loadedinto a cache of the processor 230 so that the video content of a videodata source selected at power up is provided for display within at leastten seconds of receiving the request, or within five seconds or withintwo seconds of receiving the user request. Additionally, the streamlinedOS 230 can allow the television 100 to display video content promptlyupon receiving other types of user requests, such as a user request tochange television channels or a user request to activate game playassociated with video game data processed by the video game consolemodular card 146. As such, the television 100 can provide thetraditional television experience in which changes in the video contentdisplayed and/or the audio content output occur promptly in response tothe user's input as one or more requests.

During operation, the various components of the television 100communicate information via the busses 232 and 234 in order to performvarious multimedia-related functions. For example, the communicationsprocessor 216 provides communications protocol-specific processing fordata received via the network interface 118 and for data to betransmitted on a packet-based network via the network interface 118.Further, the communications processor 216 may implement one or morefunctions associated with, the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)seven-layer model or the Telecommunications Protocol/Internet Protocol(TCP/IP) stack. During operation, incoming data that is processed by thecommunications processor 216 can be routed to one or more of thecomponents of the television 100 as appropriate. The DMA controller 210can control access to the RAM 204 and/or the ROM 206 by the componentsof the television 100. Moreover, the overlay graphics generator 214 cangenerates overlay graphics that overlay the display graphics that areoutput to the display 102 by the display controller 212.

In a particular embodiment, the modular cards 140-146 may communicateinformation with each other and with other components of the television,e.g., the processor 202 or the display controller 212, using the modularcard receptacles 222-228 and the bus 234. For example, the wirelessnetwork interface modular card 142 or the network interface 118 may beused to receive/transmit multimedia data for the decoder modular card140, receive/transmit audio data for the audio receiver modular card144, or receive/transmit video game data and related information for thevideo game console modular card 146. Alternately, multimedia data orvideo game data may be received via one or more of the RF antennainterface 120, the IN component 112, or the DVD IN component 114.Further, video data that represents video content may be provided fromthe decoder modular card 140 or the video game console modular card 146to the display controller 212 so that the video content is displayed bythe display 102. Similarly, audio data representing audio content may beprovided from the audio receiver modular card 144 to the audio output220 for output of the audio content by one or more speakers of thetelevision 100.

Referring to FIG. 3, an exemplary implementation of the multimediadecoder modular card 140 is illustrated in accordance with at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure. In the example depicted, themultimedia decoder modular card 140 includes a modular card receptacleinterface 302, an input buffer 304, a decryption module 305, a parser306, a video decoder 308, a video output buffer 310, an audio decoder312 and an audio output buffer 314. In a particular embodiment, theincoming buffer 304 and the output buffers 310 and 314 may beimplemented together as a single buffer.

During operation, incoming multimedia data that is to be processed bythe decoder modular card 140 is buffered in the incoming buffer 304. Inat least one embodiment, the multimedia data is part of an MPEG datastream. Accordingly, the parser 306 parses the multimedia data toidentify the relevant video and/or audio data to be processed. Then, theparser 306 provides the video data to the video decoder 308. The 308decodes, or transcodes the video data and the resultingdecoded/transcoded data can be stored in the outgoing video buffer 310before being provided to the bus 234 (FIG. 2) for transmission to one ormore components of the television 100. Similarly, the audio decoder 312decodes or transcodes the audio data. Audio data is decoded/transcodedby the audio decoder 312 and the resulting decoded/transcoded audio datais buffered in the outgoing audio buffer 314 before being provided tothe bus 234 for transmission to one or more other components of thetelevision 100.

Alternately, in one embodiment, the received multimedia data includesunencoded multimedia data. In this instance, the video decoder 308 alsomay provide a video encoder to encode the video data to generate encodedvideo data (e.g., MPEG data) and the audio decoder 312 may include anaudio encoder to encode the audio data to generate encoded audio data.

In at least one embodiment, the received multimedia data is encrypted orotherwise protected to prevent unauthorized access to the multimediacontent. Accordingly, in at least one embodiment the integrated decodermodular card 140 further comprises a decryption module 305 to processthe protected multimedia data to generate unprotected multimedia datausing a decryption key 307 supplied by, for example, a provider of theprotected multimedia data. In one embodiment, the decryption module 305processes the protected multimedia data before it is provided to theparser 306. Alternately, the decryption module 305 could be implementedat the output of the parser 306 or as part of the decoders 308 and 312.

Referring to FIG. 4, an exemplary method 400 for processing multimediadata at a networked television is illustrated in accordance with atleast one embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 400 includesreceiving a multimedia data stream at the network interface 118 of thetelevision 100 at block 402. At block 404, video data from themultimedia data stream is processed at a multimedia decoder of thetelevision to generate video content. At block 406, audio data from themultimedia data stream is processed at the multimedia decoder of thetelevision to generate audio content. The multimedia decoder may includea multimedia decoder that is integrated into a core processing componentof the television (e.g., an MPEG decoder chip) or the multimedia decodermay include a multimedia decoder modular card 140, as illustrated inFIGS. 1-3. Further, in one embodiment, the audio data and video data areprocessed by separate components. To illustrate, the audio data can beprocessed by, for example, the audio receiver modular card 144 whereasthe video data can be processed by an integrated multimedia decoder orthe multimedia decoder modular card 140. At block 408, the video contentis provided to the display 102 of the television 100 for viewing by auser. At block 410, the audio content is provided for output to one ormore speakers. The speakers receiving the audio content may be speakersintegrated with the television 100 or they may include, for example,speakers wired to the speaker outputs 152 (FIG. 1) or speakerswirelessly connected to the television 100 via the wireless networkinterface modular card 142 (FIG. 1).

Referring to FIG. 5, an exemplary method 500 for providing multimediadata to the television 100 is illustrated in accordance with at leastone embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 500 includesproviding a first data stream including multimedia data from a contentprovider to the television 100 via a packet-based network, such as, forexample, an IP-compliant network at block 502. As noted above, thetelevision 100, in one embodiment, includes a network interface 118(FIG. 1) to a packet-based network to receive multimedia data and amultimedia decoder to process the multimedia data. As noted above, thecontent provider may seek to limit distribution of the multimediacontent represented by the multimedia data. Accordingly, at block 504,the content provider can provide an indicator of a maximum number oftelevisions authorized to receive the multimedia content represented bythe first data stream. In response to this indicator, the television 100can provide data representative of the multimedia content to a number ofnetworked devices at block 506, where the number of networked devicesreceiving the multimedia content is limited based on the indicator.Further, in one embodiment, the content provider may bill the user ofthe television 100 for services that include providing the first datastream.

Referring to FIGS. 6-8, an exemplary technique for redistributingmultimedia data is illustrated in accordance with at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure. As depicted by FIG. 6, amultimedia content provider 602 (e.g., an operation maintained by acable television provider or telecommunications company) may be coupledto television 606 via a packet-based network 604, such as, for example,the Internet or a private network. As part of a broadcast, or inresponse to a user request, the content provider 602 provides encodedmultimedia data 612 to the television 606 via the network 604. Theencoded multimedia data 612 is received at the television 606 via anetwork interface (e.g., network interface 118, FIG. 1) connected to thenetwork 604. The multimedia data 612 can be processed by a multimediadecoder of the television 606 (e.g., multimedia decoder modular card140, FIG. 1) to generate processed multimedia data 614. Variousoperations performed on the multimedia data 612 by the television 606 togenerate the processed multimedia data 614 may include decoding ortranscoding the multimedia data 612, decrypting the multimedia data 612,and the like.

The resulting processed multimedia data 614 can be provided to one ormore networked devices for further processing and/or display. In theexample illustrated by FIG. 6, the processed multimedia data 614 istransmitted to another television 608 via the network 604. Thetelevision 608 may further process the multimedia data 614 for displayor for storage. In the example illustrated by FIG. 7, the processedmultimedia data 614 may be communicated wirelessly between thetelevision 606 and the television 608 using wireless transceivers 702and 704, respectively. The wireless transceivers 702 and 704 may beimplemented as, for example, the wireless network interface modular card142 (FIG. 1).

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary method 800 for redistributing multimediacontent as described with respect to FIGS. 6 and 7. The method 800includes receiving a first multimedia data stream at a first networkinterface of a television at block 802, wherein the first networkinterface is coupled to a packet-based network. The first multimediadata stream may be provided as a scheduled broadcast or may be providedby a content provider in response to a user request for the firstmultimedia data stream. At block 804, the first multimedia data streamis processed at a multimedia decoder of the television to generate asecond multimedia data stream. The multimedia decoder can include, forexample, an integrated multimedia decoder or the multimedia decodermodular card 140 (FIG. 1). The processing performed on the firstmultimedia data stream can include, for example, decoding the firstmultimedia data stream or transcoding the first multimedia data stream.Moreover, in one embodiment, the first multimedia data stream mayinclude protected multimedia data. Accordingly, the processing performedon the first multimedia data stream further may include decrypting thefirst multimedia data stream including the protected multimedia data. Atblock 806, the second multimedia data stream is provided to a networkeddevice via a second network interface of the television. The secondmultimedia data stream may be provided via the same packet-based networkused to receive the first multimedia data stream. In this case, thesecond network interface and the first network interface may be the samenetwork interface. Alternately, the second multimedia data stream may beprovided via another packet-based network (e.g., a wireless network) andtherefore may be a different network interface than the first networkinterface.

The exemplary techniques illustrated in FIGS. 6-8 allow a singletelevision to act as the distribution point for multimedia contentreceived from a content provider. To illustrate, because the television100, in one embodiment, decodes and/or decrypts the encoded multimediadata 612 to generate unencoded and/or decrypted multimedia data 614, thenetworked devices receiving the multimedia data 614 (e.g., television608) do not need to utilize a decoder and/or decryption module toprocess the multimedia data for display as video and/or audio content.As a result, the decoding/decryption components of the networked devicesreceiving the multimedia data 614 may be disabled, thereby reducing thepower consumption of the networked devices. Moreover, the networkeddevices may be supplied without decoding/decryption components, therebyreducing their complexity and cost.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, an exemplary implementation of the audioreceiver modular card 144 is illustrated in accordance with at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the audio receivermodular card 144, in one embodiment, includes a modular card receptacleinterface 902, a buffer 904, one or more digital signal processors(DSPs) 906, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 908, an RF interface910, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 912, a display control module914, the audio input 150 and one or more speaker outputs 922-930.

In operation, audio data to be processed can be received from othercomponents of the television via the modular card receptacle interface902 or from an external audio source via the audio input 150 or via anRF transmission received at the RF interface 910 and converted todigital data by the ADC 912. The received audio data can be buffered inthe buffer 904 until accessed by the DSP 906 for processing. Processingoperations performed by the DSP 906 can include, for example, decoding(e.g., decoding from an MPEG or MP3 format), decryption, filtering,stereo enhancement, equalization and the like. For example, in oneembodiment the DSP 906 performs surround sound processing of the audiodata consistent with one or more surround sound standards, such as DolbyDigital 5.1, Dolby Digital Theater System (DTS) Surround, THX SurroundEX™, and the like.

The resulting processed audio data may be provided to one or more othercomponents of the television via the modular card receptacle interface902. For example, the processed audio data may be provided for output toone or more wired speakers via the speaker outputs 922-930 afterdigital-to-analog conversion by the DAC 908. In the illustrated example,the speaker output 922 connects to a right rear (RR) speaker, thespeaker output 924 connects to a right front (RF) speaker, the speakeroutput 926 connects to a center speaker, the speaker output 928 connectsto a left front (LF) speaker and the speaker output 930 connects to aleft rear (LR) speaker. Alternately, as illustrated with reference toFIG. 10, the processed audio data (illustrated as audio data 1001) canbe provided from the audio receiver modular card 144 to the wirelessnetwork interface modular card 142 for transmission to one or morewireless speakers 1002-1008.

In at least one embodiment, the display control module 914 providesdisplay content representing information about the audio receivermodular card 144 for display on the display 102 (FIG. 1). For example,the display control module 914 may provide graphical data representingequalization settings, where the graphical content of the graphical datais laid over video content from another source on the display 102. Otherinformation for display can include, for example, volume settings,speaker setup, artist and track information, and the like. Moreover, inone embodiment, the operation of the audio receiver card module 144 isresponsive to user commands (e.g., remote control commands). Forexample, after displaying the current equalization settings on thedisplay 102, remote control commands from a user representing a desiredchange in equalization settings can be received by the display controlmodule 914. In response, the display control module 914 can send asignal to the DSP 906 to change the equalization settings as well asprovide updated equalization settings graphical display information fordisplay by the display 102 so that the user can visual confirm that therequested changes are made. Other operations affected by user input caninclude, for example, volume settings, channel selection, trackselection, speaker setup, surround sound settings, and the like.

Referring to FIG. 11, an exemplary method 1100 for providing audio datafor processing at a networked television is illustrated in accordancewith at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 1100includes providing an audio data stream to the television via apacket-based network at block 1102. In one embodiment, the televisioncomprises an exterior interface panel including a plurality of interfaceconnections, a network interface to the packet based network to receivethe multimedia data, and an audio receiver modular card (e.g., audioreceiver modular card 144, FIG. 1) to process the audio data stream. Incertain instances, a content provider may attempt to protect the audiodata stream by encrypting the audio data. In such instances, the audioreceiver modular card may have access to a decryption key provided bythe content provider, at block 1104, or otherwise made available to theaudio receiver modular card. The audio receiver modular card thus mayuse this decryption key to decrypt or otherwise decode the protectedaudio data. At block 1106, a user of the television is billed forservices including providing the audio data stream to the television.For example, the user may have subscribed to a service and may receive amonthly bill.

Referring to FIG. 12, an exemplary method 1200 for processing audio datausing the audio receiver modular card 142 is illustrated in accordancewith at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 1200includes receiving first audio data at an audio receiver modular card ofa television via a first network interface of the television (e.g.,network interface 118 of television 100, FIG. 1) at block 1202. At block1204, the first audio data is processed at the audio receiver modularcard to generate second audio data. Processing operations performed bythe audio receiver modular card may include, for example, decoding,filtering, formatting, and the like. At block 1206, the second audiodata is provided for output to one or more speakers. In one embodiment,the second audio data is provided to one or more speakers via one ormore speaker outputs of the audio receiver modular card. In an alternateembodiment, the second audio data is wirelessly transmitted to one ormore wireless speakers via a wireless network interface of thetelevision (e.g., wireless network interface modular card 142, FIG. 1).

Referring to FIG. 13, an exemplary implementation of the video gameconsole modular card 146 is illustrated in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure. In the depicted example, the gameconsole modular card 146 includes a modular card receptacle interface1302 for connecting to a modular card receptacle of the networkedtelevision 100 (FIG. 2), flash memory 1304, one or more processors 1306,RAM 1308, ROM 1310, a hard disk 1312, a graphics engine 1314, a videogame tuner 1316, and one or more game controller interfaces 156.

In operation, video game data is provided to the television 100 via anetwork or by an external video game data source, such as a DVD player.The video game data is forwarded to the game console modular card 146via the modular card receptacle interface 1302. The video game data maybe stored in flash memory 1304, RAM 1308 and/or the hard disk 1312. Thevideo game tuner 1316 manages the storage of video game data supplied tothe television via one or more transmission channels.

The processor 1306 executes instructions represented by the video gamedata in response to user game controller signals received via the gamecontroller interfaces 156. As noted above, the game controllerinterfaces 156 may include interfaces to wired game controllers or mayinclude wireless interfaces to wireless game controllers. Datarepresenting the video content of the game play is provided to thegraphics engine 1314 whereupon the data is rendered into display datafor output to the display 102 (FIG. 1) of the television. Datarepresenting the audio content is processed by the processor 1306 or byan audio decoder (not shown) of the modular card 146. Alternately, theaudio data is provided to the audio receiver card 144 or to themultimedia decoder card 140 for processing. The resulting audio contentis output to one or more speakers associated with the television (e.g.,integrated speakers or speakers connected via the audio receiver modularcard 144, FIG. 1). The data representative of the video/audio contentcan be provided to a core component of the television 100 (e.g., theprocessor 202 or a dedicated television graphics engine) via the modularcard receptacle interface 1302 for rendering into display data andoutput audio content.

In some instances, the game play represented by the video game data maybe multiplayer game play that occurs among multiple players in separatelocations. Accordingly, in at least one embodiment, the processor 1306provides game play information for transmission by other game consolesinvolved in the same game play. To illustrate, the game play informationis provided to the other components of the television 100 via themodular card receptacle interface 1302, whereby the game playinformation may be communicated to other networked game consoles via thenetwork interface 118 (FIG. 1) or wirelessly communicated to otherwireless game consoles via the wireless network interface modular card142 (FIG. 1).

Referring to FIG. 14, an exemplary method 1400 for processing video gamedata at a video game console modular card of a television is illustratedin accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.The method 1400 includes receiving video game data at the television viaa network interface to a packet-based network at block 1402. In oneembodiment, the video game data is received as part of a multimedia datastream transmitted by a multimedia content provider via the packet-basednetwork. For example, the video game data could be represented by one ormore transmission channels of the multimedia data stream. At block 1404,at least a portion of the video game data is provided to the gameconsole modular card (e.g., the game console modular card 146) via afirst modular card receptacle of the television. At block 1406, thevideo game data is processed to provide game play content for display bythe television, wherein the game play content is based on user controlsignals received via one or more game controller interfaces of the gameconsole modular card. At block 1408, video game data associated with thegame play is rendered at a graphics engine of the game console modularcard to generate rendered display data, and, at block 1410, the rendereddisplay data is provided for display via the first modular cardreceptacle. At block 1412, game play information is communicated withone or more networked devices (e.g., other networked televisions havinggame console modular cards) via the first network interface or via asecond network interface, such as a wireless network interface modularcard.

Referring to FIGS. 15-18, exemplary techniques for providing video gamedata via one or more transmission channels are illustrated in accordancewith at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 15illustrates an exemplary video game distribution system 1500 including avideo game provider 1502 and a networked device 1504 connected via anetwork 1506. The networked device 1504 may include any of a variety ofdevices capable of receiving and processing multimedia transmissionscomprising a plurality of transmission channels (such as, for example, adigital cable transmission or a satellite television transmission). Forease of illustration, the networked device 1504 is discussed in thecontext of a networked television as described in detail above.

In the illustrated embodiment, the video game provider 1502 includesvideo game data storage 1510 for storing video game data associated withone or more video games, a list generator 1512, a multimedia streamgenerator 1514, and an authentication module 1516.

In operation, the multimedia stream generator 1514 generates one or moremultimedia data streams 1520 for transmission to the networked device1504. In addition to transmission channels having conventional videoand/or audio data representative of television programs or radioprograms, such as video channels 1521 and 1522, one or more transmissionchannels of the multimedia data stream 1520 can include video game data,such as game channels 1523-1525. Accordingly, to download the video gamedata associated with a particular video game, the networked device 1504may select the game channel of the multimedia data stream 1520associated with a desired video game and may store video game datatransmitted via the selected channel.

To illustrate, a user of the networked device 1504 may provide a remotecontrol command or other user input that causes the networked device to“tune” to a transmission channel selected by the user. Once “tuned” tothis channel, the networked device 1504 may provide a request for theassociated video game data from the video game provider 1502. Theauthentication module 1516 authenticates an identifier associated withthe user request to determine whether the user is authorized to accessthe video game data. If so authorized, the multimedia stream generator1514 obtains the requested video game data from the video game datastorage 1510 and inserts the requested video game data into theappropriate game channel of the multimedia data stream 1520. Theauthentication module 1516 further may store the request for video gamedata for billing purposes associated with providing the requested videogame data.

Alternately, the video game data associated with one or more video gamesmay be inserted by the multimedia stream generator 1514 in a repeatingmanner. In this instance, once the networked device 1504 is “tuned” tothe selected game channel, the networked device 1504 may delay storingthe video game data in the selected game channel until the starting byteof the video game data is retransmitted in the next iteration. Ratherthan waiting for the starting byte of the video game data, the networkeddevice 1504 instead can identify an entry point where the networkeddevice 1504 began storing video game data transmitted in the selectedgame channel and can cease storing video game data when the identifiedentry point is encountered again during the next transmit iteration ofthe video game data. For example, if the networked device 1504 tunes tothe selected channel and starts recording the video game data at byte1000, the networked device 1504 would continue to record the video gamedata through the end byte of the present iteration until byte 999 of thenext iteration is encountered. Thus, the networked device 1504 can storethe entire video game data without delaying until the start of the nextiteration of the transmission of the video game data in the selectedtransmission channel.

The association of video games and their corresponding transmissionchannels may be provided to a user in any of a variety of ways. Forexample, a printed publication could be provided that indicates whichtransmission channels are used to carry the video game data of certainvideo games. However, the use of a printed publication typically resultsin a static assignment of channels and may cause inconvenience on thepart of the user if the printed publication is misplaced or otherwiseunavailable. Accordingly, in at least one embodiment, the list generator1512 generates one or more lists for display as video content, where thelists, when displayed, provide an indication of available video gamesand identifiers (e.g., channel numbers) of their correspondingtransmission channels. An exemplary display of a list is discussed belowwith reference to FIG. 16. The lists of available video games may beorganized by any of a variety of characteristics, such as rankings,genres, costs, system requirements, and the like. To illustrate, thelist generator 1512 can generate, for example, a list of the top fivevideo game rentals, a list of the top ten best selling video games, alist of newly introduced video games, a list of action/adventure videogames, a list of role-playing video games, a list of video gamessuitable for children, and other lists.

Multimedia data representative of the one or more generated lists can beprovided to the networked device 1504 as one or more list channels, suchas list channels 1526 and 1527, of the multimedia data stream 1520.Accordingly, when the networked device 1504 is “tuned” to a listchannel, the network device 1504 may provide the video contentrepresentative of the list associated with the selected list channel fordisplay at the networked device. The user, upon viewing the videocontent representative of the list, may ascertain the transmissionchannel carrying data for the video game in which the user isinterested. The user then can direct the networked device 1504 to “tune”to the identified transmission channel (using, for example, remotecontrol commands) so that the video game data can be obtained from theidentified transmission channel and stored (e.g., at the hard disk 1312of the video game console modular card 146, FIG. 13) for subsequent use.

Referring to FIG. 16, an exemplary display of a list of video games at anetworked device (e.g., the television 100, FIG. 1) is illustrated inaccordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Inthe depicted example, the displayed list 1600 provides a listing of fiveavailable video games (video games A, B, C, D and E) identified as beingthe top five in rental frequency. Each video game listed also includes avisual indicator of the transmission channel that carries the video gamedata representing the video game. For example, the visual indicator mayinclude “select channel” icons 1602-1610 corresponding to video gamesA-E, respectively, where the icons 1602-1610 provide a visualrepresentation of the corresponding transmission channels (e.g.,channels 101-105). The displayed list 1600 further may include screenshots 1612-1620 for one or more of the listed video games, as well aswritten descriptions, critic reviews or ratings of the listed videogames (not shown).

Referring to FIG. 17, an exemplary method 1700 for providing video gamedata as one or more transmission channels of a multimedia data stream isillustrated in accordance with at least one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. At block 1702, a multimedia data stream is provided forreception by a display device, where the multimedia data stream includesa first channel having video content representing a first list ofavailable video games and their corresponding channel identifiers and asecond channel having video game data associated with a first video gameof the first list and where the second channel is associated with afirst channel identifier corresponding to the first video game. Themultimedia data stream also can include other channels associated withother video games. The multimedia data stream can be provided as, forexample, a digital cable television transmission or a satellitetelevision transmission, a multimedia data stream transmitted over apacket-switched network. In at least one embodiment, the display deviceis a networked device, such as a networked television as discussedabove.

To discourage unauthorized access, the video game data can be encrypted,such as at the video game content provider, prior to providing themultimedia data stream or prior to inserting the video game data intothe multimedia data stream. Accordingly, a decryption key that is usedto decrypt the encrypted video game data may be provided by the videogame content provider or otherwise made available to the networkeddevice. In one embodiment, the identification of the networked device isverified prior to providing or making the decryption key available. Thisverification process may include verifying that the particular displaydevice and/or a particular user are authorized to use the video gamedata.

In one embodiment, the video game data associated with the first videogame is provided in a continuous loop as the second transmissionchannel. Alternately, the video game data associated with the firstvideo game is provided by a video game content provider in response to auser request for the video game data from the networked device. The userrequest may be initiated by a user remote control command directing thenetworked device to tune to the transmission channel identified by thefirst channel identifier.

As noted above, the multimedia data stream may represent thetransmission of multimedia content in accordance with a serviceagreement or arrangement between a user and a content provider.Accordingly, at block 1704 the user's access of the video game data fromthe second channel is noted at the content provider and a charge isincluded in a billing statement sent to the user for the service thatincludes providing the multimedia data stream.

Referring to FIG. 18, an exemplary method 1800 for obtaining video gamedata from one or more channels of a multimedia data stream isillustrated in accordance with at least one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The method 1800 includes receiving a multimedia data streamat a system including a display device at block 1802. The multimediadata stream includes a first channel having video content representing afirst list of available video games and their corresponding channelidentifiers and a second channel having video game data associated witha first video game of the first list. The second channel is associatedwith a first channel identifier corresponding to the first video game.In one embodiment, the system includes a networked television (e.g.,television 100, FIG. 1) having a game console modular card (e.g., gameconsole modular card 146, FIG. 1) to process the received data. In oneembodiment, the storage of video game data at a hard disk 1312 (FIG. 13)of the game console modular card 146 is handled by the video game tuner1316.

At block 1804, the video content representing the first list of games isprovided for display at the display device. In the event that the systemincludes a networked television as described above, the networkedtelevision may include a decoder, such as an integrated decoder or adecoder modular card 140 (FIG. 1) to generate display datarepresentative of the video content of the first channel for viewing bythe user. At block 1806, user input indicating a selection of the firstchannel identifier associated with the first video game of the firstlist is received in response to display of the video content. The userinput may include, for example, a request to “tune” the system to thetransmission channel associated with the first channel identifier, wherethe request may be a remote control command or input received via, forexample, a channel change button.

At block 1808, the video game data associated with the first video gamefrom the second channel is obtained for storage at the system inresponse to receiving the user input. As noted above, the video gamedata may be provided in a single transmission at a predetermined time orin a continuous loop or the video game data can be added to themultimedia data stream in response to a request by the user. In theevent that the data is provided in a continuous loop, obtaining thevideo game data can include identifying a start position within apresent loop of the video game data and continuing to store the videogame data until a corresponding position to the start position isencountered for the next loop of the video game data. In the event thatthe video game data is encrypted, at block 1810, a decryption key can bereceived at the system in response to a verification of anidentification of the system. At block 1812, the video game data can bedecrypted using the decryption key. In the event that the systemincludes the networked television 100, the obtained video game data canbe stored at the hard disk 1312 (FIG. 13) of the video game consolemodular card 146 of the television 100 for subsequent processing toprovide game play to a user.

The above-disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, andnot restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all suchmodifications, enhancements, and other embodiments, which fall withinthe true spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, to the maximumextent allowed by law, the scope of the present invention is to bedetermined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the followingclaims and their equivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited bythe foregoing detailed description.

What is claimed is:
 1. A television comprising: a display; a firstnetwork interface to a packet-based network, wherein the first networkinterface is configured to receive a multimedia data stream from thepacket-based network, wherein the multimedia data stream comprisescontent representing a first list of available video games and videogame data associated with a first video game of the first list; adecoder operable to generate display data representative of the contentat a first region of the display, the display data displayable on thedisplay within ten seconds of receipt of a user request for themultimedia data stream, wherein the display data comprises a listing oftitles of the available video games from the first list in a firstcolumn and an indicator associated with each game in the listing of theavailable video games in a second column adjacent to the first column;and a game console modular card operable to receive the video game datafrom the decoder in response to user selection of the first video gamevia a remote control and operable to process the video game data todisplay game play content, wherein the game play content is based onuser control signals received via a game controller coupled to acontroller interface of the game console modular card.
 2. The televisionof claim 1, further comprising a modular card interface coupled to thefirst network interface of the television, wherein the decoder includesa decoder modular card coupled to the modular card interface, andwherein the television is operable to display the display data on thedisplay upon receipt of a user request to power up the television. 3.The television of claim 2, further comprising a wireless networkinterface card coupled to the modular card interface.
 4. The televisionof claim 1, further comprising a second network interface, wherein thesecond network interface is a wireless network interface supported by awireless network interface modular card coupled to the decoder via amodular card interface.
 5. The television of claim 1, wherein themultimedia data stream includes protected multimedia data and whereinthe decoder processes the protected multimedia data to generateunprotected multimedia data and provides the unprotected multimedia datato a networked device via the first network interface.
 6. The televisionof claim 5, wherein the unprotected multimedia data is provided to asecond networked device via a second network interface of thetelevision.
 7. The television of claim 6, wherein the second networkinterface comprises a wireless network interface that includes awireless network interface modular card coupled to the decoder via amodular card interface.
 8. The television of claim 1, wherein the gameconsole modular card includes a second controller interface configuredto receive a second game controller, and wherein the game play contentis further based on second user control signals received via the secondgame controller.
 9. The television of claim 1, wherein the display datarepresentative of the content is displayed within five seconds ofreceiving the user request.
 10. The television of claim 1, wherein thedisplay data further comprises a screen shot for an available game ofthe available video games from the listing at a second region of thedisplay separate from the first region.
 11. The television of claim 1,wherein: the first network interface is disposed at an exterior surfaceof a housing of the television, at least a portion of the first networkinterface exterior to the housing; and the decoder is disposed interiorto the housing.
 12. The television of claim 1, further comprising aremote control interface to receive a remote control commandcommunicated wirelessly, wherein an operation of the television isresponsive to the remote control command.
 13. A television comprising: atelevision housing; a display within the television housing; a firstnetwork interface to a packet-based network, wherein the first networkinterface is within the television housing and wherein the first networkinterface is configured to receive multimedia data from the packet-basednetwork, wherein the multimedia data comprises content representing afirst list of available video games and corresponding identifiers; aprocessor to process data transmitted via the first network interface,wherein the processor is within the television housing; modular cardinterfaces coupled to the processor, wherein the modular card interfacesare within the television housing; a game console modular card coupledto a first modular card interface of the modular card interfaces, thegame console modular card operable to process second content to displaygame play content in response to selection of a video game via a remotecontrol, wherein the game play content is based on user control signalsreceived via a game controller coupled to a controller interface of thegame console modular card; and a multimedia decoder card coupled to asecond modular card interface of the modular card interfaces, themultimedia decoder card to generate display data representative of thecontent, wherein the multimedia decoder is within the televisionhousing; wherein the television is operable to display the display dataupon receipt of a request to power up the television.
 14. The televisionof claim 13, further comprising a second network interface thatcomprises a wireless network interface card coupled to a third modularcard interface of the modular card interfaces.
 15. The television ofclaim 13, wherein the multimedia data comprises protected multimediadata and wherein the multimedia decoder card processes the protectedmultimedia data to generate unprotected multimedia data.
 16. Thetelevision of claim 13, further comprising a remote control interface toreceive a remote control command, wherein an operation of the televisionis responsive to the remote control command.
 17. A method comprising:receiving a multimedia data stream at a network interface of atelevision, wherein the network interface is coupled to a packet-basednetwork, wherein the multimedia data stream comprises contentrepresenting a first list of available video games and correspondingidentifiers and video game data associated with a first video game ofthe first list; generating, at a decoder, display data representative ofthe content; providing the display data to a display of the television;generating, at the decoder, audio content from the multimedia stream;providing the audio content for output by a speaker of the television;receiving a selection of the first video game via a remote control; andsending the video game data to a game console modular card in responseto the selection of the first video game, wherein the game consolemodular card processes the video game data to display game play content,wherein the game play content is based on user control signals receivedvia a game controller coupled to a controller interface of the gameconsole modular card; wherein the television displays the display dataupon receipt of a request to power up the television.
 18. The method ofclaim 17, further comprising receiving user input, wherein themultimedia stream is received in response to the request, and whereinthe television displays the display data within ten seconds of receiptof the user input.
 19. A method comprising: receiving a first multimediadata stream at a first network interface of a television, wherein thefirst multimedia stream comprises a content representing a first list ofavailable video games and corresponding identifiers and video game dataassociated with a first video game of the first list; generating, at adecoder, display data representative of the content; sending the displaydata to a display of the television in response to receipt of a requestto power up the television, wherein the display data comprises a listingof the available video games from the first list and an indicatorassociated with each game in the listing of the available video games;receiving, at the television, input corresponding to the first videogame and identification of a number of separately located networkeddevices to receive the first video game; receiving an indicator of athreshold number of devices authorized to receive the first video game;and sending a second multimedia data stream of the first video game forreception by each of the separately located networked devices to receivethe first video game via a second network interface of the television inresponse to determining that the number does not exceed the thresholdnumber.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein generating the display dataat the decoder comprises decrypting the first multimedia data stream.